


A Father's Duty

by LoverlyMadhatter



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Forrest is a cute son, Gen, Leo is a very worried father, Revelation Spoilers, Spoilers, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-19
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-06-03 06:41:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6600781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoverlyMadhatter/pseuds/LoverlyMadhatter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Forrest has been holed up in his room for the two weeks leading up to his cousin Siegbert's wedding, and Leo is getting worried about him.</p>
<p>In essence, Leo realizes his son is a grown up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> THERE ARE SOME MINOR SPOILERS FOR REVELATION HERE.
> 
> I meant to post this for Forrest's birthday, but then as you can see time got away from me lol. It's like over a month later.
> 
> So, either way, this is a story about Forrest and his dad, Leo. Leo wants to be a good dad.

There hadn’t been a wedding in Castle Krakenburg since Lady Arete, and Leo had never seen it so _bright_. It had been dressed to the nines in pastel banners and extra softly glowing lights, turning the black military base into a strangely comfortable wedding hall. The castle – and the city itself – was buzzing with palpable excitement, welcoming to the joyous celebration of love between Prince Siegbert and his chosen wife, a feeling the city hadn’t witnessed for decades.

            Almost ten years had passed since the reestablishment of the Vallite kingdom and the peace treaty between Hoshido and Nohr. It was followed by many years of tenuous peace, but Leo could tell that this particular celebration was going to be the final event to clear the heavy blanket of the war.

            “Leo!” came the high-pitched voice of his youngest sister from beside his ear.  He jumped in surprise, but felt his heart swell at the same time, for he hadn’t heard her voice in months.

            “Elise!” he replies, cloak swirling as he turned around. She’s standing there in a combination of Hoshidan and Nohrian garb befitting the queen, and she throws her arms around him with little hesitation. Their embrace lasts long enough to dust pink into Leo’s cheeks, and he has to pry her little body off of him to separate. He won’t admit that he almost doesn’t want to let her go, but he’s so calmed by the grinning face framed with golden hair that it doesn’t matter.

            They exchange pleasantries for a moment, the formality of royalty lost in their conversations about Nohr and Hoshido, their siblings and their partners, Sakura’s adjustment to Nohr, when finally Elise brings up the question Leo sees coming from a mile away.

            “Where’s Forrest?” she asks, looking around the room as if his son may have walked in during their embrace.

            “I’m not sure, I’m afraid,” replies Leo with a sigh, and Elise’s eyes narrow almost immediately.

            “You’re not fighting again, are you?” she says with more force than he expects from her small body, and he chuckles and shakes his head.

            “No, nothing like that; he’s been holed up in his studio for the past week, and I haven’t seen him even at mealtimes,” he explains, knitting his brow up thoughtfully. It had actually been more than a week, and though Leo was worried about his son, he didn’t want to pry. Forrest’s eyes had had heavy bags beneath them the last time they saw one another a few mornings ago, and Leo couldn’t tell whether it was just that he wasn’t wearing makeup or if they were indeed deeper than normal – his gut told him it was both.

            “Well, I’ll have to visit him before dinner and drag him out of there,” laughs Elise with a bounce and a grin, and then she’s off, dragging him around to talk to his family-in-law from Hoshido.

           

            Corrin and Camilla show up later and together in traditional Vallite armor, Azura trailing behind them. They all embrace him just as tightly as Elise, though with less vibration. But the warm feeling of excitement doesn’t last – with each of his siblings and friends that arrive, so too do their children, and with each child comes an icy sting of worry for his own.

            For the rest of the evening, he catches glimpses of his comrades’ children looking through him, searching for their sweet-smelling, doe-eyed cousin. For Leo, a night that should be full of food, dancing, and drinks is sullen, discomfort twisting in his gut as he watches a servant take Forrest’s dinner off of the table.

**

            “Forrest?” calls Leo softly, but with enough force that his son should hear him. There’s no response, so he raps on the door to the sewing room a little harder, and puts a little more edge to his voice.

            “Yes, father?” he finally replies after the fourth time Leo knocks. Leo lets out a shuddering breath that he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

            “Your cousin’s wedding is today; were you planning on making an appearance?”  There’s no response again, and Leo worries he might have been too snarky. It doesn’t stop him, though. “As my son, you have an obligation to attend.”

            “I’ll be there, Father.”  Forrest’s voice is calculated and controlled. He’s not one for outbursts, but it still stabs Leo all the same.

            “Ok…” Leo says quietly, removing his hand from the door handle, and sweeping back to the main hall to oversee the ceremony set up.

            Sweat beads Xander’s forehead and Leo’s acutely aware that he’s never seen Xander look so stressed before; not even during his own wedding to young Sakura was he as nervous as he is now. Leo smiles.

            “From the way you’re sweating, I’d think _your_ wedding was today,” Leo teases, sweeping up behind his brother and clapping a hand on his shoulder. Neither of them wear armor, and will not wear armor for today’s ceremonies, but he can tell Xander feels almost naked without it.

            “From the planning I’ve had to do, I’d think my wedding was today, too,” Xander replies in his baritone, gruff and exhausted. “The kitchen is on track for preparing the feast, the florists have decorated the hall and the ballroom, but the defenses still haven’t been briefed in full and Camilla is slacking on her air patrols, and on top of it all Ryoma has been trying to pull me away since he arrived so I could tour him around the city.”  Leo quirks an eyebrow and hides his smile behind his hand.

            Siegbert enters into the hall and his face is splotched red, hair sweat-sticking to his forehead. Xander is immediately on even higher alert – which Leo wasn’t sure was possible – and he rushes over to his son, patting him down like the doting father he is. Siegbert’s eyes are brimming with tears, no doubt over the latest stress his own wedding has caused him. Xander makes an apologetic face at Leo, but he just smiles and waves him on, turning on his heel and clicking out of the hall.

            Forrest has never needed Leo like Siegbert needed Xander, and watching Xander wipe his son’s tear and crack a smile on his face is like a knife twisting in his heart. He should be proud of his son’s independence, but the feelings of loneliness and paranoia bubble up in his throat nonetheless.

**

Leo is sure that his son would be the beauty of the ceremony, but as the wedding party sets the stage at the front of the coronation hall, Leo finds that his son is not in audience. There are dozens of noblewomen in the most gorgeous of dresses, many of them with Forrest’s beautiful and particular stitching. But he is not in any one of them. Even Corrin is in one of her nephew’s dresses, chatting happily with other nobles from Hoshido and Nohr alike… but no Forrest.

            The proper response for Leo would be embarrassment, but all he feels is worry. His son wouldn’t have wanted to miss this event – he had been working on his dress for weeks just to prepare, and what if he had accidentally slept through it because of his exhaustion?

            He pulls one of the maids aside and whispers in her ear, but when she comes back, breathing heavily just before the ceremony is to start, is a relief, but also worries him more.

            “Milord,” she says, swallowing. “I checked Sir Forrest’s bed chambers and sewing studio and he was in neither. In addition, I checked bathing chambers and Lady Soleil’s quarters.” Leo quirks his eyebrows at the last statement, but the maid offers no more explanation.

            “Anything?” he asks after a moment, but the maid shakes her head. He thanks her and she slips away just as the musicians begin to play.

            “Leo,” Corrin whispers beside him, laying her hand gently on his. He looks at his sister, eyes wide, and realizes that he’s been rubbing his knuckles red and raw.

**

            The musicians stop playing when the huge doors at the back of the hall open, and it seems like time has stopped. All of the guests are holding their breath, so Leo cranes his neck around to figure out why. Once he sees the bride, he’s struck in the same way everyone else is.

            Siegbert’s soon-to-be wife steps in slowly as the musicians hastily pick up where they left off, and as beautiful as she is with her hair and makeup done, it’s the dress that’s the most striking. The white dress is immaculate, with the most intricate beadwork Leo has ever seen. The embroidery down on the skirt is beautiful, and when she marches past and Leo sees it up close, he recognizes the handiwork instantly.

            The details, the beautiful beadwork, the stitches – every little detail and design is indicative of Forrest’s work, and Leo knows without a doubt that this piece of work is his greatest achievement. He finally understands why Forrest locked himself away for weeks on end, as Leo himself has done on so many other projects and studies. A sad smile calms him for a moment, but then he’s scanning the hall again, searching for some indication that his son made it to the ceremony. Leo searches for anything, eyes landing on every blonde beauty in the Nohrian kingdom, but he still finds nothing.

            He could barely keep his attention on the ceremony, on the blushing faces of Siegbert and his bride as they said their vows in front of the entire Nohrian, Hoshidan, and Vallite kingdoms. He misses Corrin nudging him and so too misses the tear Xander tries to inconspicuously wipe from his eye as Sakura leans on his shoulder, sobbing quietly.

            The entire court was grinning, and Nohr itself seemed to brighten in a way Leo had never experienced, but all he wishes is that Forrest were here to see it.


	2. Chapter 2

“Leo,” whispers Xander from beside him, coupled with a sharp elbow in his side. Leo shakes himself out of his daze, still scanning the reception hall for his son.

            “What?” snaps Leo back, harsher than intended, but Xander doesn’t seem to notice. His brother’s cheeks are pink with wine and there’s a rare smile stretching his thin lips, and Leo knows instantly that he’s drunk. He’s never seen this side of Xander – doubts that anyone including Sakura has – and decides immediately that he likes him better this way.

            “Look over there,” he whispers, trying – and failing – to inconspicuously point over at his retainer’s table. Laslow makes quick eye contact, then turns away hastily when he notices the king and his strategist pointing at his pink-haired daughter.

            “Soleil?” he asks. “What about her?”

            “Is that a… _man_ she’s with?”

Leo, incredulous, focuses for a moment, but finds that Xander is right: beside Soleil is a young man in well-fitted Nohrian formalwear, his back to the king’s tables. His hair is long and golden, tied up in a ponytail and draped across his shoulder. Soleil is drunk, Leo can see, and she leans in and plants a sloppy kiss on the man’s cheek.

            “I thought she was… you know,” Xander continues, waving his hands in the air with meaningless gesture.

            “She is,” Leo replies. They watch the couple for a moment; Soleil leans in for another kiss, but the young man quietly rebuffs her. She looks sullen until the young man leans in a pecks her cheek, then resumes his meal as if nothing happened. Soleil’s face breaks out into a sloppy grin, but she leaves him alone where everyone can see, instead twining her leg with his beneath the table. The young man seems content with this, and they carry on their meal as if nothing had happened.

            “Strange, isn’t it?” Xander comments, eyes moving in and out of focus. “Laslow was fairly adamant in denying my offer for Siegbert’s hand.”

            Leo is caught off guard by the last statement, but before he gets a chance to open his mouth and ask his brother about it, the huge doors of the great hall swing open and about a dozen soldiers in full clad armor come running in all at once.

            “My liege!” one of them shouts, running to the king’s table and taking a shaky knee. There’s blood on his armor, Leo sees, and the smell of sweat and fear pervades the air. He’s on his feet before Xander is, already sweeping down to the floor.

            “Speak freely,” grants Xander, slurring lilt gone from his voice as he sobers almost instantly. His squire is already putting his armor together, coming over to place it on Xander’s shoulders.

            “We’re under attack, your grace,” the soldier gasps. “I don’t… we don’t know what happened, but the entire sky defense has been broken. Th-they’re past the outer gate – and – and…“

“And the rest of your defense?”

            “I… I don’t know.”

            After that, many things happen at once. There’s a moment of silence while Xander stands silent, then Camilla leaps onto the table and all hell breaks loose. The guests untrained in the art of war begin to panic, and the panic spreads like a disease, soon infecting the entire hall. Squadrons belonging to Nohr, Hoshido, and Valla begin to flood out of the hall behind their monarchs and comrades. Instead of forming up with the healers and tacticians like the head strategist should, Leo is picking through the crowd of panicking guests, searching for one with pink cheeks and ringlets.

            Forrest is in danger somewhere – he doesn’t know the castle is under attack, and as capable as he is in a fight, there’s no chance of survival if he’s caught unawares. Leo turns on his heel, using the screaming crowd to draw as little attention as possible, and beams toward one of the smaller doors out of the hall.

            “Leo!”

He whips around and finds himself face to face with his friend and comrade, Takumi. His mouth is set in a thin line

            “Takumi,” Leo says calmly, trying to mask the panic rising in his chest.

            “Where are you going?” Takumi asks in a hushed voice, but Leo’s aware that Takumi knows him well enough that he doesn’t need to answer.

            “I’m going to work to calm the guest hall, so I’m passing on the responsibility to you, Lord Takumi,” Leo explains formally. Takumi’s grip tightens on his arm.

            “No one over there knows this castle like you do,” Takumi argues back, fire in his eyes. “I know you’re worried about Forrest, but we need you.”

            “I – what do you think – I’m simply trying to calm the guests…“ Leo tries to search for some sort of explanation, but Takumi knows him too well.

            “I’m worried about Kiragi, too, Leo, but we have to trust our sons.” Leo feels Takumi’s hand tighten, this time reassuringly. “They’re more capable than we think they are.”

            Leo swallows the lump in his throat. Takumi is right; wherever Forrest is, Leo has to believe he’ll be ok.

            They move back to the center of the hall, and Leo finds that, in the minutes of his attempted escape, the room has calmed considerably. The young man who had been with Soleil earlier was now ushering guests out of the hall, and they were as calm as if they were in a trance. He moved with a grace and efficiency that Leo had never seen. But, as much as he wanted to pull the young man aside, he has other matters to attend to.

**

            Hours later, when the sun has set and the air is cool, Leo wipes his sweat slicked forehead. Most of the attackers – a rogue band of ninja from Mokushu – had been driven off, and quiet had settled on the castle again. The guests were tucked away in guest rooms and chambers for the night, and the fighting units were taking their last patrols around the grounds. In the moist dark of the summer night, Leo huffs and finally relaxes.

            He lets his mind wander back to his son, for whom his worry has not dissipated. He had asked every patrol, every troupe, every soldier if they had seen Forrest, and every response was negative. It got to a point where Elise had to fold her hand over his to get him to focus. Leo sighed – he would have to apologize to her later; she had probably spent more time corralling him than she had on her actual duties. He makes a mental list of things he must do in the aftermath, which include thanking Takumi and finding out who that young man is.

            “Father!”

The shout cuts through the silence; Leo recognizes the voice instantly.

            “Forrest?” he cries, but sees nothing through the dim light of the garden. Before he can squint enough to look through the dark, a heavy form slams into him and knocks him off of the bench, landing with a thud in the grass. His breath leaves him and there’s a bright flash that leaves him blind.

            He tries to shout, but his chest is tight and he can’t find the breath he needs. His heart flutters with panic when he smells burnt flesh, a chill running down his spine. A hand with thin fingers grasps his arm and tries to wrench him up out of the grass, but Leo smacks it away. He worms his way through the grass until he can blink away the bright flash. He can feel his pursuer over him, standing like a shadow of death. He squeezes his eyes shut and waits for death, but it never comes. Instead, thin arms wrap around him and he’s blanketed by the smell of something sweet and powdery: Forrest’s perfume. It washes over him in a calming wave, and instinctively he threads his arms around the body.

            “You should be more careful, father,” says Forrest with a shaky smile. On the other side of the garden is a fallen ninja, flesh singed and body still. There’s ash and dust smeared all over his face, and he looks shaken.

            “Are you alright, Forrest?” The waver in his voice makes his son smile, and he nods.

            “Yes, father. I’m so sorry to have worried you. I was told that you were looking for me.”

            The next question is less important, but after they separate and he confirms with a once-over that Forrest is at least healthy, he asks, “What are you wearing?”

            Instead of anything _close_ to his daily wardrobe, he’s wrapped in deep purple masculine formalwear. It’s not of Nohrian royalty, but one of a high level servant, and Leo recognizes it as belonging to the young man with blonde hair who was with Soleil earlier, and who calmed the guests.

            “Oh yeah,” Forrest sighs with a smile. “I didn’t want to show up the bride, so I decided to dress down.”

            “I’ve been looking for you all day! You’ve had me worried sick!” Leo can see Forrest tense like he’s ready for a punishment, but instead Leo just wraps his arms around his son tightly and hides his tears behind his back. Forrest’s face burns hot as his father holds him and quietly sobs into his shoulder, but his muscles all soften and his body relaxes.

            “Didn’t you see me wave at you before the ceremony?” Forrest asks quietly once Leo pulls himself away. “I was with Soleil… You looked right at me.”


	3. Chapter 3

Two weeks later, Leo stands outside of his son’s chambers, body rigid. He’s spent hours late into the night going over every direction this conversation could lead, and after avoiding his son’s eyes at dinner, he’s finally prepared to face him. There’s no answer when he knocks – which he planned for – so he steels himself and calls for him.

            “Forrest!” he nearly shouts. It comes out much harsher than he intends, and he cringes. Clearing his throat, he tries again, with much less force. A few moments pass awkwardly while Leo waits outside of the room, listening to shuffling behind the door. He can hear that there is no movement toward the door to let him in, so after what feels like an eternity, Leo turns on his heel to leave.

            “Wai- ah!!!” comes Forrest’s pained cry through the door, and Leo follows his immediate instinct and drops his shoulder into the thick wood. The door isn’t locked and comes open easily for him, and he stumbles into the room, narrowly avoiding making intimate contact with the stone floor. Forrest is standing at the window in his night clothes – though the sun is high in the sky – and his hair tied up into a messy bun. His face is flushed pink and his head is in his hands.

            “Is everything alright?” gasps Leo as he runs over toward his son.

            “Yeah,” Forrest says weakly, blood rushing into his ears and neck. Leo looks over the windowsill, and soon his skin matches his son’s.

            Soleil is standing in the gardens below Forrest’s chambers – a three story climb – with a wide grin and a thumbs up. She’s dressed similarly to Forrest, though her hair is wilder and she’s wearing distinctly less clothing. She waves up at Leo and blows a kiss, then turns and walks off like it’s a normal day.

            “Sorry, father…” Forrest mutters, his skin nearly purple with embarrassment.

            “Should… should I come back later?” asks Leo, trying to find his voice beneath his surprised amusement.

            “No, no, it’s fine…” he sighs, and pulls his cardigan around himself tighter. “Sorry.”

            Leo takes a seat in a comfortable pink armchair and crosses his legs. “No,” he replies. “I should be sorry. I’ve invaded your privacy.” Forrest opens his mouth to say something more, but Leo puts up a finger to stop him. “Your mother and I had our share of trysts, Forrest. Trust me when I say you have nothing to be sorry for.” The blush doesn’t leave Forrest’s face, but his shame morphs into mortification. The awkwardness dissipates somewhat, and Leo allows himself a small smile.

            “Do you want some tea?” asks Forrest, motioning over to the stove.

            “No,” he replies. “There’s something I wish to discuss, and then I’ll let you get back to… this.” He sweeps a hand toward the mussed bedsheets with a smirk, while Forrest’s face beams bright red again. Leo motions for Forrest to take a seat across from him, trying as best as he can to suppress a laugh.

            “What did you want to talk about, Father?” As much as Leo had planned out exactly how this conversation would go, Forrest takes the lead as usual, and Leo finds himself struggling to think back to his hours spent poring over what he would say.

            “I… ah… well,” he stumbles, then stops and takes a breath to continue. His controlled countenance disappears with his family, and the nervousness that shakes his leg up and down is one that the courts will never see. “I heard about what you did on the night of the wedding.”

            Forrest quirks one eyebrow.

            “It was nothing,” replies Forrest, apprehension apparent on his face. He’s not sure where this is going. “I did what I’m supposed to do… what I agreed to do when I became a strategist.”

            “It wasn’t ‘nothing,’ son.” Leo takes a deep breath and finds Forrest’s eyes searching him, and he continues. “You took initiative before I – or anyone else – even moved. You moved the guests to safety faster than any of us could’ve hoped, and even after that you kept going. All the soldiers are telling stories of a young butler who was seemingly everywhere at once, healing at one moment and striking down foes the next. Fighting side by side with the king and his son, sweeping the ground below the air patrols, carrying the wounded back and forth for the entirety of the battle, and… me.

            “I, and many others, would be dead if it weren’t for you, Forrest.” Leo’s speech ends much more quickly than he expects it, all leaving him in sort of a rush. He wanted to make sure Forrest could feel his gratitude and love, but when he sees the look on Forrest’s face, he’s sure he’s failed. When Forrest doesn’t go on, he looks down at his hands and keeps talking.

            “You’re kind and caring and intelligent, Forrest… You’re the best son a father could ask for and I’m so proud –“ Leo stops when he hears a sniffle. He looks up again and Forrest is sitting across from him, body curled so his head is sitting on his knees, and he’s shivering with sobs.

            “Forrest?” Leo asks carefully, and his son lifts his head. His face is tear streaked and his lip is wobbling. Leo’s chest seizes at the sight, but he clears his throat and trudges on.

            “You’ve surpassed me in every possible way and, if you’re ready… I want you to have this.” Forrest’s breathing stops when Leo reaches into his cloak and pulls out the heavy tome, shining like new even after centuries of use. “I want you to have Brynhildr.”

            Forrest hiccups through his tears and stares at the tome for a moment, familiar and often studied. Leo watches him, eyes focusing in and out, and holds his breath.

            “I can’t,” Forrest finally says, turning his bright eyes to his father. Leo smiles and reaches gently for his son’s hand, pulling its soft skin into his own. This he had planned for, this he had a strategy for.

            “Yes you can, Forrest. If you’re ready – and I believe you are – you can do more good with Brynhildr than I could ever hope to.” Leo takes a breath and tightens his hand around Forrest’s. “You can build where I destroy, and defend where I attack. For the future of Nohr... for the future of all of our kingdoms… I want to pass my title on to you.”

            Forrest’s eyes go wide, and he begins to splutter; he looks just like Leo when he doesn’t have a plan, all stumbles and partial sentences, and the corners of Leo’s lips perk up into a grin.

            “But what about the King? I – I can’t take your place I don’t have… I don’t have nearly the training! Father, I couldn’t… I’m not a dark mage I’m just a strategist I can’t… Father! Stop looking at me like that!”

            “Xander agrees with me,” Leo explains, rubbing Forrest’s knuckles lightly with his thumb. “I will continue to serve as head strategist and mentor you, but, ultimately, the title will pass to you in ten years time.”

            Tears are still streaming down Forrest’s face, but now his lip is quivering and Leo has to bite down on his own.

            “I love you,” Leo says in a voice he didn’t realize was so broken. “I’m so… so proud of you Forrest. If you’re ready for Brynhildr, it’s yours.”

            Leo doesn’t expect his son’s thin arms wrapping around his shoulders, but that’s what happens, squeezing him with more force than should be in a body of that size. His tears begin to soak Leo’s shoulder pads, and he realizes that the shaking is actually his own body as he wracks with sobs to match Forrest’s. He mutters something that vaguely sounds like “I love you,” and Leo laughs through his tears, holding his son tighter.


End file.
